Process of making sulphur-containing plastics



Patented Apr. 3, 1928.

UNITE.

CARLETON ELLIS F MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO ELLIS-FOSTB COM- IPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS OF MAKING SULPHUR-CONTAINING- PLASTICS.

No Drawing.

and after a thorough mixture has been made water preferably-is added to moisten the 16 entire mass.

Such a composition when molded in a hot 1 ress under conditions whichallow of the airly free escape of water vapor yields a container or other molded article which is 20 light in weight and somewhat porous, the

porosity depending in a measure on the proportion of water employed.

- The conditions of molding, that is, tem-' perature and pressure, and length of time in the mold, also influence the appearance of the molded article. The distribution of pressure likewise is not without influence,

A composition within the scope of the present invention is made from 44 lbs. of 0 wood flour, 24 lbs., ,of powdered starch and 14 lbs., of flowers of sulphur. This mixture was ground in the ball mill for two hours and then 50 lbs. of water were added. The addition of water was made in a mixer which thoroughly incorporated the water throughout the mass and afforded a product which was damp and coherent, but which when squeezed in the handlwould not liber ate water readily. This was placed in a box-. 40 mold, that is a cavity mold fitted with a lunger and placed in an hydraulic press eated to about 200 C. On pressing for three minutes a box shaped structurefwas obtained, light in weight and of a faint 5 yellow color,

possibly having a slightly igreater porosity.

Despite the o the sulphur it did not squeeze out of be varied considerably.

somewhat resembling wood,

e mold and separate Application filed February 25, 1926. Serial No. 90,621; I

from therest of the mass, but the molded article when takenfrom the press was sur- 60 prisingly firm and not plastic as might be expected when employingl a'binder so easily softened by heat as sulp ur.

Various substances may be introduced such as suitable colors, glycerine or calcium chloride to. serve to retain moisture, other fillers lmown to the plastic arts including mineral fillers and organic fillers such as linters, flock, and the like. Oil of cedar,

may be added, in some cases, to give the container a cedar-wood odor. g

The; proportion of wood flour, sulphur, starch and water in the above example may The starch may be omittedin some cases. are impaired, however,by the absence of the farinaceou's material or fecula. The sulphur, it may be noted, in addition to its specific function as a binder tends to pre serve the starchy material. The sulphur ma have admixed with it other substances which modify its tendency to crystallize.

The property of the composition of stiflening or appearin to set under heat and pressure, as descri ed, is important as this transformation enables the boxes, tubes, imitation lumber, to be handled .soon after removal from the press, with littledanger of deformation- Products made by the present invention, as well as the process of molding the moistened mixture described herein, are claimed in my copending application Ser. No. 108,- 987, filed May 13, 1926.

What llclaim 1 1. The process which comprises grinding together wood flour and sulphur, adding water to moisten the mass, and hot pressing the moist material.

2. The process which comprises grinding together wood flour, sulphur, and starch, adding water to wet the mass, and hot pressing the" moist material.

3. The process which comprises grinding together wood flour, sulphur, and starch, adding water to moisten the mass, and hot.

The flowing qualities 66 M dmg water 1n mount suficimt 5. Thovproceqotmkin'gpolfqw and hot to nah; varymg the amount oi thohotprossmgstep.

the' of a the 1 0: prss'ad' pr duct be ing controlled by water added prim} to cmim'on EI-ms. 

